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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

2.12.10.1. Minerva B. Hansen (1916-2001)

Minerva B. Hansen was born on 3 Jul 1916 in Chignik, Alaska, a village on the Aleutian Peninsula to Lars Antone Hansen and Nancy J. Anderson. Her father had immigrated from Norway in 1909 and her mother was considered mixed race -- American, Russian, and Aleutian, a Native Alaska tribe. She was called "Creole" on many of the documents of the time.

In 1920 Minerva and her family lived next door to her maternal grandparents in Chignik and her father worked as a fisherman. He likely sold his catch to the local cannery, which was the main employer in the village. Minerva's father was naturalized in 1924 and became a U.S. citizen. However, when the 1930 census was enumerated, Minerva's mother was listed as a widow and lived in Chignik with her eight children.

I am not sure how Minerva and Alexander Eugene Muir met. He may have been stationed in Alaska or perhaps Minerva traveled to the west coast of the United States after her mother married and placed most of her children in an orphanage. By 1940, though, Alexander and Minerva were married. He was a 3rd class radioman stationed on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Pulaski, which was based at Coos Bay, Oregon. Minerva boarded at the home of Pearl Frazier in nearby Marshfield, Oregon. Alexander and Minerva had one known son over the course of their marriage.

It is interesting to note that when Minerva lived in Alaska, her race was considered mixed even though she could have been no more than 12.5 percent Native Alaskan. When she lived in Oregon her race was listed as white.

After Alexander was discharged from the Coast Guard, the family settled in Seattle, Washington, where Alexander worked as a mechanic for United Airlines.

Books about Allied Families

The story of the James Wilson family of Topsham, Maine, who came to the United States in 1719 and over 20,000 of his descendants, living and dead, including Martha Brodie, great granddaughter of Robert Muir.